Unless you live in a cave, you are well aware of all the growing interest in, and controversies around, the topic of brain training, especially whether technology can enhance -- or hinder -- our brain health and cognitive performance.
A little perspective may help separate the signal from the noise. Take a minute to think about the early years of the physical fitness movement. It took decades of conflicting research and confusing media coverage to finally spread the idea that daily life activities are far from sufficient to keep us physically fit. And, at the same time, to develop the exercise protocols, the validated assessments, the professional standards and bodies, and the overall infrastructure to support the emerging "being fit" aspiration. From those humble beginnings, health club memberships in 2014 amounted to $78+ billion dollars in annual revenues.
Same as with physical fitness, maintaining if not enhancing brain fitness requires a holistic approach which includes mental novelty, variety and targeted challenge. Our routine-driven daily mental activities are simply not enough. One can achieve this in multiple ways: learning and practicing a new language, mastering meditation, rotating through complex professional assignments, volunteering to run a hiking or cycling club... and, also, understanding, navigating and using the emerging technology-enabled brain fitness toolkit at our disposal.
Check this out: 83 percent of surveyed early-adopters agree that "adults of all ages should take charge of their own brain fitness, without waiting for their doctors to tell them to" and say that they "would personally take a brief assessment every year as an annual mental check-up."
Here are some of the most important brain training news in 2014, covering research, assessment and training trends. They hint at the drivers fueling growth and shaping up the emerging landscape. Hopefully, in relatively short notice, we will all benefit from a brain fitness/ brain training field as proven and valuable as the physical fitness field is today.
As you can see, there's much going on, and much to look for in the near future.
Have a great 2015!